Natural and Local Colors

The gathered botanicals and live plants were in place, the mordants were set out and the burners were ready when students in Donna Kallner’s Local Color from Natural Dye class entered the studio last week. Tree and plant leaves were used for ecoprinting on silk and more colors of nature were brought out and preserved in wool yarns through brewing plant dyebaths.

Samples and skeins dyed with goldenrod, rhubarb, indigo, black walnut and more prompted exclamations of excitement and discovery during the dye process.

Two indigo plants gave their leaves to create beautifully dyed yarns and fabrics.

The last morning offered show and tell time and what a display after just four days of dyeing. As one student said of the class, “It was exciting…full of science and magic!”